Virginia and Maryland are in a dispute over Chesapeake Bay crabbing
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A bushel of blue crabs from the Chesapeake Bay. Photo: Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
Tensions over the future of the Chesapeake Bay blue crab population boiled over last week after Virginia officials voted to lift a prohibition on winter harvesting of the crustaceans for the first time in roughly 15 years.
Why it matters: The Virginia Marine Resources Commission's decision to repeal the ban drew sharp criticism from their Maryland counterparts, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation directors in both states and regional environmentalists, per the Washington Post.
- They argue winter dredging jeopardizes the entire bay blue crab population and could threaten the bay's ecosystem.
The big picture: The Chesapeake Bay blue crab population is down.
- The year-over-year change is slight, 317 million blue crabs were counted this year compared to 323 million in 2023, according to the annual Winter Dredge Survey survey.
- But blue crab numbers are down significantly from the 594 million counted in 2019, per the Post.
What they're saying: "The VMRC's vote imperils not only the vulnerable blue crab, but the sustainability of harvests throughout the year and other species in the Bay that depend on the blue crab for food," said Chris Moore, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's executive director on the Virginia side, in a statement.
- "This vote represents a major breakdown in the cooperative management of blue crabs across the Chesapeake Bay. The partnership between Virginia, Maryland, and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission has been key to maintaining a more productive and stable blue crab population," said the foundation's Maryland director, Allison Colden.
Zoom in: The drop in blue crab numbers is even more pronounced in the female population, which accounts for around 90% of crabs caught in winter in Virginia waters, per the Bay Journal.
- That's because female crabs migrate south to lay their eggs in Virginia's saltier waters.
- There were 133 million female blue crabs this year, down from 152 million last year and 191 million in 2019.
- 215 million adult female crabs are needed for a "healthy population and sustainable harvest in the Chesapeake Bay," per the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
Be smart: The ban on dredging for crabs between Dec. 1 to March 31 has been in place since 2008, the year crab fishery was declared a federal disaster due to severe population decline.
The other side: The vote to allow winter dredging doesn't necessarily mean it will happen, a spokesperson for the Virginia marine commission told the Baltimore Banner.
- Instead, he said VMRC will begin researching the viability of establishing winter dredging and if they did, it would likely be for a shorter season and with fewer participants dredging.
- Plus, crabbers in Virginia would still have to adhere to annual harvest numbers, which are unchanged.